Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

Lack of literacy skills endangering Canadians’ health

Jan. 26, 2007 Vancouver, B.C.—More than half of Canadians lack the literacy skills to understand medication and safety instructions, a figure that approaches 90 per cent among seniors, according to a new report by the Canadian Council on Learning.

State of Learning in Canada: No Time for Complacency is a comprehensive overview of key areas of learning in Canada.

Using data collected by Statistics Canada, the report analyzed questions related to the health literacy of Canadians – the ability to understand, interpret, and apply health information.

“The findings are disturbing,” said Dr. Paul Cappon, CCL's president and CEO. “What concerns me most is that older Canadians, who are most likely to have health issues, are least likely to have the skills to deal with their own health.”

In general, just over 40 per cent of Canadians lack the overall reading and writing skills needed to cope with the demands of today’s society and economy. That number remained unchanged between two major assessments done in 1994 and 2003. A new CCL analysis of the 2003 data specific to health literacy, found that the number rose to 55 per cent of adults aged 16-64 and 88 per cent of seniors.

The finding points to serious concerns for the daily life of most Canadians, who are faced with health-related information every day. That information ranges from nutritional information on food products, to directions on medications or medical devices, and to safety instructions at home or work.

“With Canada’s aging population, this problem will only grow and worsen unless we take action to strengthen health literacy levels for all adults,” said Cappon.

The report notes that higher literacy levels are positively linked with economic indicators, such as higher income and better job opportunities, as well as social and personal indicators, such as better health and social engagement.

The report also contains chapters on early childhood learning, learning in school, adult learning, Aboriginal learning, and a special feature profiling the challenges low literacy levels pose to Canadian society.

The full report is available at www.ccl-cca.ca/solr.

Note: Additional State of Learning in Canada news releases are available on the report in general and on Aboriginal learning.

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The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decisions about learning throughout all stages of life, from early childhood through to the senior years.

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